§ 1. Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will take urgent steps to provide more new jobs in the Mexborough and district travel-to-work area of South Yorkshire.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Industry (Mr. John MacGregor)I fully recognise the current difficulties in Mexborough, which are recognised by the development area status accorded to it. The main contribution Government can make to job creation is to get the rate of inflation and interest rates down and to encourage a more competitive environment, which is what we are doing.
§ Mr. WainwrightDoes not the hon. Gentleman agree that the Government's policy does nothing but create further unemployment in the country as a whole, and increase unemployment in the Mexborough district? Is he not aware that the financial inducements that may be offered to anyone bringing work into Mexborough appear to be of no value and have had no effect? What will the hon. Gentleman do about unemployment? Is he not further aware that the Manvers coking plant closed down recently and that Mexborough power station is to be closed down? When are we going to get more jobs?
§ Mr. MacGregorThe hon. Gentleman seems to ignore the fact that the problems in Mexborough occurred before 668 1979. That is why we upgraded it to development area status, which gives it a whole range of financial incentives. The hon. Gentleman fails to recognise that, as elsewhere, much of the trouble in his part of the country is due to much higher wage increases than were justified by production and to higher inflation than many other countries faced. We are having to pull the economy around from a previous poor economic basis.